<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
<html><head><title>Tool Assisted Speedruns</title>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css">
<style type="text/css"><!--
body {
  margin: 5px 5px 5px 5px;
  background-color: #ffffff;
}
/* ========== Text Styles ========== */
hr { color: #000000}
body, table /* Normal text */
{
 font-size: 10pt;
 font-family: 'Arial', 'Helvetica', sans-serif;
 font-style: normal;
 font-weight: normal;
 color: #000000;
 text-decoration: none;
 ;
}
span.rvts1 /* Heading */
{
 font-weight: bold;
 color: #0000ff;
}
span.rvts2 /* Subheading */
{
 font-weight: bold;
 color: #000080;
}
span.rvts3 /* Keywords */
{
 font-style: italic;
 color: #800000;
}
a.rvts4, span.rvts4 /* Jump 1 */
{
 color: #008000;
 text-decoration: underline;
}
a.rvts5, span.rvts5 /* Jump 2 */
{
 color: #008000;
 text-decoration: underline;
}
span.rvts6 /* Font Hint */
{
 color: #808080;
}
span.rvts7 /* Font Hint Title */
{
 font-size: 15pt;
 font-family: 'Tahoma', 'Geneva', sans-serif;
 font-weight: bold;
 color: #404040;
}
span.rvts8 /* Font Hint Bold */
{
 font-weight: bold;
 color: #808080;
}
span.rvts9 /* Font Hint Italic */
{
 font-style: italic;
 color: #808080;
}
span.rvts10
{
 font-size: 24pt;
 text-decoration: underline;
}
span.rvts11
{
 font-size: 14pt;
}
a.rvts12, span.rvts12
{
 color: #0000ff;
 text-decoration: underline;
}
a.rvts12:hover { color: #0000ff; }
span.rvts13
{
 font-size: 12pt;
}
span.rvts14 /* Font Style */
{
 font-size: 16pt;
 font-family: 'Tahoma', 'Geneva', sans-serif;
 color: #ffffff;
}
span.rvts15 /* Font Style */
{
 font-family: 'MS Sans Serif', 'Geneva', sans-serif;
 color: #808080;
}
span.rvts16 /* Font Style */
{
 font-family: 'Verdana', 'Geneva', sans-serif;
 font-style: italic;
 color: #c0c0c0;
}
a.rvts17, span.rvts17 /* Font Style */
{
 font-family: 'Verdana', 'Geneva', sans-serif;
 font-style: italic;
 color: #6666ff;
 text-decoration: underline;
}
/* ========== Para Styles ========== */
p,ul,ol /* Paragraph Style */
{
 text-align: left;
 text-indent: 0px;
 padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
 margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.rvps1 /* Centered */
{
 text-align: center;
}
.rvps2 /* Paragraph Style */
{
 background: #9fbed0;
 margin: 0px 0px 20px 0px;
}
.rvps3 /* Paragraph Style */
{
 text-align: center;
 background: #e4e4e4;
 margin: 20px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.rvps4 /* Paragraph Style */
{
 border-color: #c0c0c0;
 border-style: solid;
 border-width: 1px;
 border-right: none;
 border-bottom: none;
 border-left: none;
 background: #ffffff;
 padding: 3px 0px 0px 0px;
 margin: 27px 0px 0px 0px;
}
--></style>
<script type="text/javascript">if(top.frames.length == 0) { top.location.href="../fceux-2.0.2.htm?{FFA06380-625B-4EF0-AE42-BA201A5A9306}.htm"; }</script>
<meta name="generator" content="HelpNDoc Free"></head>
<body>

<p class=rvps2><span class=rvts14>Tool Assisted Speedruns</span></p>
<p><span class=rvts10>Tool Assisted Speedruns</span></p>
<p><br></p>
<p><span class=rvts11>What is Tool Assisted Speedrunning?</span></p>
<p><br></p>
<p>A tool-assisted speedrun (commonly abbreviated TAS) is a speedrun movie or performance produced with the use of tools such as slow motion and re-recording. The basic premise of these runs is that a "tool" (such as an emulator that provides the author with features that are unavailable in regular playing) is used in order to overcome human limitations such as skill and reflex.</p>
<p><br></p>
<p>Creating a tool-assisted speed run is the process of finding the ideal set of inputs to complete a given criterion - usually completing a game as fast as possible. No limits are imposed on the tools used for this search, but the result has to be a set of timed key-presses that, when played back on the actual console, achieves the target criterion. Traditionally, the only available tool for this was an emulator with re-recording - the ability to use savestate while recording key-presses. However, due to advances in the field, it is now often expected that frame-advance, stepping through emulation one frame at a time, is used. A tool-assisted speed run done without this technique may be criticised as "sloppy play". Before frame-advance became common, playing in slow motion was a common technique, but frame-advance has displaced this.</p>
<p><br></p>
<p>In essence, Tool Assistance allows one to overcome human limitations of skill and reflex in order push a game to its limits.&nbsp; One important thing to remember is that TAS movies are not competing in terms of playing skill, nor do they claim to. </p>
<p><br></p>
<p>For more info on Tool Assisted Speedruns:</p>
<p><a class=rvts12 href="http://tasvideos.org/">http://tasvideos.org/</a></p>
<p><a class=rvts12 href="http://tasvideos.org/WhyAndHow.html">http://tasvideos.org/WhyAndHow.html</a></p>
<p><a class=rvts12 href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tool-assisted_speedrun">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tool-assisted_speedrun</a></p>
<p><br></p>
<p><span class=rvts11>FCEUX TAS features</span></p>
<p><br></p>
<p>FCEUX provides a wealth of tools and resources for creating TAS Movies for NES &amp; FDS games.&nbsp; It features the most current and cutting edge tools for optimizing movies and making the process of movie making quicker an easier.</p>
<p><br></p>
<p><span class=rvts13>Basic Recording features:</span></p>
<p><a class=rvts12 href="{695C964E-B83F-4A6E-9BA2-1A975387DB55}.htm">Frame advance, Slow-downs, "bullet-proof" rerecording</a>, <a class=rvts12 href="{16CDE0C4-02B0-4A60-A88D-076319909A4D}.htm">TAS edit</a></p>
<p><br></p>
<p><span class=rvts13>Advanced Recording features </span></p>
<p><a class=rvts12 href="{CE13161D-517E-4E30-8502-F98D92F44C8E}.htm">Input presets</a>, <a class=rvts12 href="{8609B4A5-7455-42A3-AB33-D33D9C672191}.htm">Auto Hold &amp; Auto-Fire</a></p>
<p><br></p>
<p><span class=rvts13>Automated Movie Making Processes</span></p>
<p><span class=rvts12>Macros &amp;&nbsp; Multi-tracking</span>, <span class=rvts12>Lua scripting</span>, <span class=rvts12>Basic Bot</span>, </p>
<p><br></p>
<p><span class=rvts13>Finding Ram values:</span></p>
<p><a class=rvts12 href="{B37E7A47-E65F-4544-BDDF-39BE708BA68F}.htm">Cheat Search</a>, <span class=rvts12>RAM Filter</span>, <a class=rvts12 href="{06F7BBD5-399E-4CA0-8E4E-75BE0ACC525A}.htm">Hex Editor</a>, <a class=rvts12 href="{8A78E5FE-C7EB-418D-A921-F9A6782663F0}.htm">Debugger</a>, <a class=rvts12 href="{C652C305-E5FC-4C80-BCCD-721D9B6235EF}.htm">NES RAM Guide</a></p>
<p><br></p>
<p><span class=rvts13>RAM Monitoring:</span></p>
<p><a class=rvts12 href="{01ABA5FD-D54A-44EF-961A-42C7AA586D95}.htm">Memory Watch</a>, <a class=rvts12 href="{06F7BBD5-399E-4CA0-8E4E-75BE0ACC525A}.htm">Hex Editor</a></p>
<p><br></p>
<p><span class=rvts13>Movie Splicing Editing</span></p>
<p><a class=rvts12 href="{35A71F02-6927-4476-B205-A524630184CC}.htm">Text based file format</a></p>
<p><br></p>
<p><span class=rvts11>Movie making</span></p>
<p><span class=rvts11><br></span></p>
<p>To get started making a Tool Assisted Movie, simply begin recording a movie (see <a class=rvts12 href="{695C964E-B83F-4A6E-9BA2-1A975387DB55}.htm">Movie Recording</a>).&nbsp; The basic premise of TASing, however, is to use re-records to optimize the execution of a decided upon goal (usually to complete the game as fast as possible).&nbsp; Re-recording is the act of replacing an already recorded part (of a movie) with something else; also called undo.</p>
<p><br></p>
<p>In the making of emulator movies, re-recording is done by loading a savestate of earlier event in the movie and continuing playing from that point.&nbsp; The emulator will update the movie file to undo everything that was cancelled by the savestate loading, and continue recording from that point.&nbsp; The makers of tool-assisted speedruns use re-recording very extensively to reach perfection and to avoid mistakes.</p>
<p> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;* In single-segment non-assisted speedruns, re-recording is starting over from beginning. The recording of the failed playing is usually not preserved.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </p>
<p> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;* In multi-segment non-assisted speedruns, re-recording is starting over from the beginning of current segment. The recording of the failed segment is not preserved.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </p>
<p> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;* In tool-assisted speedruns, re-recording only undoes a small part of playing. The undone part will not be seen in the resulting movie.&nbsp; A tool-assisted movie may have been re-recorded anything between 50 and 200000 times, depending on the precision of the movie and the difficulty of the game.&nbsp; Often, the same small passage of the game (could be as small as fractions of second long) is attempted tens of times before continuing. </p>
<p><br></p>
<p>For more info on making TAS movies:</p>
<p><a class=rvts12 href="http://tasvideos.org/CommonTricks.html">http://tasvideos.org/CommonTricks.html</a></p>
<p><a class=rvts12 href="http://tasvideos.org/GenericTips.html">http://tasvideos.org/GenericTips.html</a></p>
<p><br></p>
<p class=rvps3><span class=rvts15>2008</span></p>
<p class=rvps4><span class=rvts16>This help file has been generated by the freeware version of </span><a class=rvts17 href="http://www.ibe-software.com/products/software/helpndoc/" target="_blank">HelpNDoc</a></p>

</body></html>
